LILLEY: Rebel MPs calling for Justin Trudeau to step down as Liberal Party leader?

There has reportedly been complaints within the Atlantic and Ontario caucuses, but so far this is all being done in secret

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Published Oct 12, 2024  •  Last updated 5 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "unpopularity, along with broader discontent with the Liberal party, has eroded support even in areas that previously seemed unassailable,” the Angus Reid Institute says. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf /Montreal Gazette

Mary Ng says she has full confidence in Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party – but it seems others do not.

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We don’t quite know who those MPs are yet because they aren’t willing to do the hard part, publicly call for Justin Trudeau to step down for the good of the Liberal Party.

In a story first broken by the Toronto Star, then followed up on by CTV and CBC, it seems there is a small cadre of MPs who want Trudeau to go.

Reviewing the various reports, it looks like there has been some complaining within the Atlantic and Ontario caucuses, there may or may not be a letter circulating with up to two pages of people who have signed onto the call for Trudeau to go. We just don’t know though because this is all being done in secret, behind closed doors.

“This is not your usual rabble-rousers, this runs deeper than that,” the Star quoted one Liberal MP as saying about the secret, not quite launched yet coup.

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Excuse me for being skeptical, but this whole affair seems sloppy.

If you are going to launch a coup to replace your party leader, then do it already. We heard about a similar attempt during the summer and at that point, only New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, who isn’t even running again, came forward to say Trudeau should go.

At the Liberal caucus retreat last month, Montreal MP Alexandra Mendès said that while she supports Trudeau staying on as leader, she’s heard from constituents that it is time to go.

So far, that’s been the extent of Liberal discontent, despite more than a year of polling showing the Conservatives with a persistent double-digit lead in voter support.

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Trudeau has been clear in statement after statement that he intends to run in the next election. Perhaps that’s just him not stating that he’s stepping down so that he can retain some control, but I believe he wants to stay and fight Pierre Poilievre in the next election.

All of this broke while Trudeau was in Laos at the ASEAN Summit. While he didn’t comment, his trade minister Mary Ng did come to his defence.

“I’m disappointed, because Canadians expect us to be focusing on Canadians and doing this work,” she said. “I think that the conversations that we have in caucus remain in caucus.”

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For the most part, that has happened – the Liberals under Trudeau have been very good at exercising discipline, staying on message and rallying to their leader. But now with claims of people being pulled into rooms and asked to sign a letter calling for the leader to step down, that might be breaking down.

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Or, this is all overblown and the rebellious MPs will trip over themselves in their attempt to change leaders.

“Time will tell,” said one MP who had heard of the letter but hadn’t seen it or signed it.

MPs aren’t sitting this coming week, they’ve gone back to their constituencies for Thanksgiving and don’t return to Ottawa until Oct. 21. That means we will have a whole week of gossip and speculation but little clarity on what will happen.

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The fact that the existence of this rebel group is now public will likely increase calls for Trudeau to go, but he’s been ignoring those calls – including from family members and top Liberal advisors – for more than a year now, so he may just keep ignoring them.

While Trudeau’s political obituary has already been written by many, he appears confident that he can stage a comeback and beat Poilievre in a general election. As far fetched as that sounds, it’s not impossible and the Conservatives would be foolish to become complacent.

Poilievre clearly hasn’t written Trudeau off and takes him seriously as an opponent.

Whether they do ever meet in a general election may depend on whether Trudeau can survive inside his own party.

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